10 Favorite Old Homes in 2017

Happy New Year! Looking back through 2017, we saw some amazing Old Homes in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi! This would have published earlier but I’ve been recovering from the Rose Bowl – what a game. Go Dawgs! Getting to just 10 homes is difficult – would rather use a top 100 but figured that post would be way too long LOL. These are in no particular order!

Macon

Gresham Mansion, circa 1842

Macon has a huge historic district, and the variety of intact old homes is amazing. There are house museums you can tour – Cannonball House, Hay House, Sidney Lanier, and the Allman Brothers Big House museum. This is Gresham Mansion, circa 1842. It now operates as an Inn. The big white columns, magnolia trees, etc – what a southern scene!

Rome

Claremont, built 1882

Rome, in Northwest Georgia, has so much to see! This was my first visit back to Rome since the 1980s – and I’m not waiting so long next time! “Claremont”, built in 1882 is now a B&B. It’s over 8,000 square feet, and the home even has a safe built into the stairwell. The Yancey family occupied this home for 3 generations. You can see a few more beautiful homes in the link below.

Dublin

Built 1903 and called “the grandest home south of Atlanta”

Dublin – just east of Macon, The Georgia Trust For Historic Preservation had a 1 day “expedition”, or tour during March. There are always a great variety of homes and other buildings on their tours. This home was built with it’s own ballroom! Dublin has some amazing homes! A few more homes on the tour are available here:

Jekyll Island

Cherokee Cottage, built 1904

My first visit to Jekyll Island! I wanted to see the “cottages” that were built around the turn of the last century where the Rockefellers, Pulitzers, Morgans, etc all stayed. Millionaire’s Row has many preserved old “cottages”, including Cherokee Cottage, built in 1904. It was built with 20 rooms and 6 bathrooms! See more Jekyll Island Homes below:

Milledgeville

Old Georgia Governor’s Mansion

Milledgeville – which served as Georgia’s capital from 1804-1868, is chock full of old homes. The Old Georgia Governors Mansion built in 1839 is open for tours. Really impressive place, if you’re in the area go and visit this home. Author Flannery O’Connor’s home is nearby, and that’s on my list to visit this year.

Eutaw, Alabama

Leroy at Kirkwood Mansion

Eutaw, Alabama – once I saw photos of Kirkwood Mansion online, I was determined to go and see it. Eutaw is a small town with a large number of historic homes. During a trip to Mississippi, we made it our pit stop. Leroy loved this 1860 mansion! The history of this home is fascinating, I’ve put the link to it below:

Thomasville

Jerger House, circa 1891 (and Leroy!)

Thomasville – in Southwest Georgia, was one of the most popular posts of the year. This was a winter resort town in the late 1800s, and several nearby plantations. This house stopped me in my tracks! And Leroy actually sat still for more than 2.5 seconds…which is rare. A recap of the Thomasville visit is here:

St. Mary’s

Stone House, Built in the 1880s

St. Marys – located along Georgia’s coast and just across the river from Florida. The Stone-Bunkley-Guy House in St Marys has all my favorite things – picket fence, front porch, etc! There are so many great old homes around town, lots of fun to explore here. If you want to see a few more homes, the link is below:

Columbus

“The Elms”

Columbus – This is the second largest city in Georgia, only behind Atlanta. There are so many old homes to see here on Georgia’s western border! This is The Elms, build 1844. It was later purchased by the Bowers family, who added the 2 hexagonal wings you see and laid out a formal butterfly shaped garden. This home stayed in the Bowers family for 100 years. If you missed the Columbus posts, you can find them here:

Natchez, Mississippi

Front View of Melrose

Natchez – we will have a post on Natchez homes coming up soon, I had the opportunity to visit during their Annual Spring and Fall Pilgrimage. Melrose was interesting as it has a lot of the possessions of the original owners, and you can see how opulent a home was in the 1850s. There’s a whole tour of the house here:

Sandersville

Forest Grove

Sandersville – I visited Sandersville for the first time in 2016, and thoroughly enjoyed exploring the town. This fall there was a tour of homes, and I couldn’t wait to go check them out. Forest Grove was my first stop, if you look at the photo you can see there are 4 front doors to this home! What made this so special is this home is still in the original family, just a fascinating place. The Sandersville/Tennille Tour is here:

Americus

Built in 1881

Americus – Last year also marked my first visit to Americus, I am already looking into a return visit! There are old homes covering a huge span of time, and great variety. This one was build by John Shaw, a haberdasher, for his bride. Over the years it was owned by a Superior Court Clerk, then became a law office. You can see a historic photo of this house in the Americus posts here:

I’ve got a lot more ground to cover in 2018 – so many beautiful old homes to share! Wishing everyone a fantastic 2018, and as always, really appreciate you taking the time to read the blog. Lots to come in 2018!